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Archive for the ‘hypertension’ Category

Americares report — 40 percent of visits to free clinic are for heart problems

Monday, February 25, 2013 by:Amanda Cuda
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Forty percent of all patient visits to free clinics – two out of every five visits – are for cardiovascular disease, according to clinics surveyed by the Stamford-based global health and disaster relief organization AmeriCares. AmeriCares operates three clinics in Connecticut, in Bridgeport, Danbury and Norwalk.

The online survey was sent to 318 free and charitable clinics that receive donated medicines and supplies from AmeriCares U.S. Medical Assistance Program to better inform its donations of prescription and over-the-counter medicines. More than half of the clinics responded to the survey, representing 18 percent of all free clinics nationwide.

In addition to those suffering from heart disease, clinic officials also reported 50 percent of their patients have high blood pressure – much higher than national averages for the uninsured. Nationwide, 20 percent of uninsured adults in the U.S. have hypertension, according to the latest U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention statistics. AmeriCares is releasing the findings today to raise awareness about the prevalence of heart disease among free clinic patients during American Heart Month.

“While it’s been well documented that low-income, uninsured Americans are disproportionately affected by chronic disease, the survey results are startling because of the degree of disparity,” said AmeriCares Director of U.S. Programs Leslie McGuire in a press release. “More research needs to be done to determine why so many free clinic patients have heart disease so that interventions specific to this vulnerable population can be developed.”

The survey backs up a previous AmeriCares study that identified caring for patients with heart disease as a major burden for safety net clinics. Clinic directors surveyed in 2011 ranked cardiovascular medicines as among their top needs, second only to diabetes medications. The AmeriCares 2011 survey of free clinics nationwide found more than half were forced to turn away eligible patients due to resource constraints such as limited medical and support staff, expensive lab tests and medications, inadequate facility space and declining financial support.

How to keep your cool in hot temps

Tuesday, May 29, 2012 by:Amanda Cuda
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So we just survived a hot — if beautiful — Memorial day weekend, and there’s supposed to be more of the same today, with temperatures predicted to hit the mid-80s. So how do you keep your cool? Here are some tips from the state Department of Public Health and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the Naugatuck Valley Health District:

  • Wear protective clothing (shirt, hat, pants, sunglasses) when in the sun for more than 15 minutes; seek shade as much as possible; avoid mid-day sun.
  • Apply sunscreen to exposed skin. Apply 15 minutes before sun exposure; apply a generous coat and reapply every 2 hours or more often if getting wet or sweating heavily. Choose sunscreen wisely. Look at the label. Choose a sunscreen that:
  • Offers broad spectrum (UV-A & UV-B) protection
  • Is rated as SPF 15 or greater
  • Contains zinc oxide as the active ingredient or as a blend with titanium dioxide. These
    mineral blockers are preferable to chemical absorbers.
  • Is water resistant
  • Drink more fluids, regardless of your activity level. Don’t wait until you’re thirsty to drink. Warning: If your doctor generally limits the amount of fluid you drink or has you on water pills, ask him or her how much you should drink while the weather is hot.
  • Don’t drink liquids that contain alcohol or large amounts of sugar. These actually cause you to lose more body fluid. Also, avoid very cold drinks because they can cause stomach cramps.
  • Wear lightweight, light-colored, loose-fitting clothing.
  • Never leave anyone in a closed, parked vehicle.
  • Though anyone at any time can suffer from heat-related illness some people are at greater risk including infants and young children, those aged 65 or older, those with a mental illness and those who are physically ill, especially those with heart disease or high blood pressure.

For more tips, visit www.bt.cdc.gov/disasters/extremeheat/heattips.asp.

Yale researchers to be featured on HBO program

Tuesday, April 24, 2012 by:Amanda Cuda
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Researchers from the Yale Rudd Center for Food Policy & Obesity will be featured in a multi-part series on HBO that addresses the national obesity epidemic. Rudd Center director Kelly Brownell, deputy director Marlene Schwartz, director of research Rebecca Puhl, and director of marketing initiatives Jennifer Harris will join other notable names in obesity research and prevention to discuss one of the nation’s most pressing health issues and offer practical but far-reaching solutions.

“The Weight of the Nation” spotlights the facts and myths of this urgent public health issue, showing how obesity affects the health of the nation and cripples the health care system. The series is produced by HBO and the Institute of Medicine in association with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the National Institutes of Health, in partnership with the Michael and Susan Dell Foundation and Kaiser Permanente.

According to an HBO press release, more than two-thirds of U.S. adults age 20 and over are overweight or obese, while nearly one-third of the nation’s children and adolescents age two to 19 are overweight or
obese. Obesity contributes to five of the ten leading causes of death in America, including
heart disease, type 2 diabetes, cancer, stroke and kidney disease.

Below is a trailer for Weight of the Nation:

For more information on the series and the nationwide community-based outreach initiative that accompanies it, visit www.hbo.com/theweightofthenation

News flash: We eat too much sodium

Tuesday, February 7, 2012 by:Amanda Cuda
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A report released today by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention states that about 90 percent of Americans eat more sodium than is recommended for a healthy diet. Though sodium takes many forms, much of the sodium we consume is in the form of sodium chloride, or salt.

The CDC research states that Americans eat on average about 3,300 mg of sodium a day. The U.S. Dietary Guidelines
recommend limiting sodium to less than 2,300 mg a day, and about 6 in 10 adults should further limit sodium to 1,500 mg a day.

Forty-four percent of sodium consumed came from 10 food categories: bread and rolls, cold cuts/cured meats, pizza, poultry, soups, sandwiches, cheese, pasta mixed dishes, meat mixed dishes, and savory snacks. For most of these categories, more than 70 persumed of the sodium consumed came from foods obtained at a store. For pizza and poultry, respectively, 51 percent and 27 percetn of sodium consumed came from foods obtained at fast food/pizza restaurants. Mean sodium consumption per calorie consumed was significantly greater for foods and beverages obtained from fast food/pizza or other restaurants versus stores.

There are many risks to high sodium consumption, particularly high blood pressure. High blood pressure can lead to heart disease and stroke — which, along with other vascular illnesses, kill 800,000 people a year, according to the CDC.

Sodium is already part of processed foods and cannot be removed. However, manufacturers
and restaurants can produce foods with less sodium. In addition, you can select lower sodium foods when possible and you can cook more foods yourself, to better control how much sodium you eat.

For more information on sodium, see the CDC report at http://www.cdc.gov/vitalsigns/Sodium/index.html.

Connecticut to receive nearly $500,000 to fight chronic disease

Tuesday, September 27, 2011 by:Amanda Cuda
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Tuesday the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services announced that the Connecticut Department of Public Health is one of 61 organizations nationwide to receive a share of $103 million in grant money intended to fight chronic diseases. The health department will receive $493,891 through the government. The money is intended to be used to promote tobacco-free living, exercise and healthy eating, and preventive care.

Chronic diseases are responsible for 75 percent of health care costs in the United States. The root causes of chronic disease are often related to economic, social, and physical factors such as tobacco use or a lack of places to exercise. The Community Transformation Grants awarded today will help states and communities address these challenges by supporting prevention programs proven to make a positive impact on health.

Grantees may also focus on creating healthy and safe environments. Grantees will have an additional focus on reducing health disparities since, in addition to lacking access to the health care they need, many lower–income Americans, racial and ethnic minorities, and other underserved populations often have higher rates of disease.

For more information, visit http://www.cdc.gov/communitytransformation/funds/index.htm.

Connecticut 3rd least obese state — what do you think?

Friday, July 8, 2011 by:Amanda Cuda
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So, in case you missed it, the Trust for America’s Health and the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation released the eighth annual F as in Fat report yesterday, ranking obesity rates in the 50 states and Washington, D.C. The good news is that Connecticut, with an obesity rate of 21.8 percent, was the third least obese state, behind Colorado and D.C. Last year, it was the second least obese state, with a rate of 21.4 percent.
But there’s some bad news, too. First, adult obesity rates increased in 16 states in the past year and didn’t decline in any state. Also, the state’s obesity rate has increased significantly from 15 years ago, when the rate was 11.8 percent. Diabetes and hypertension have also gone up in the past 15 years in Connecticut.
Even more disconcerting is that the state’s relative skinniness might not translate to certain urban areas, like Bridgeport.
According to the Bridgeport Primary Care Action Group (PCAG), 37% of Bridgeport adults and 25% of children are obese.
I’m planning a story for tomorrow’s paper that will have a lot more details but, in the meantime, here’s a link to a release on F as in Fat, and information about Connecticut’s ranking: http://healthyamericans.org/reports/obesity2011/release.php?stateid=CT

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